Guide and control assembly for folding doors



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS EDMUND F. REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANEATTORNEYS E. F. REISS ETAL GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORSO H 1 u 1 u E rg m Q m U M. i m I S I. w v m -m E n m W OT\H m 1 E m m,r How j w W Tainan] m duha 33.51 ETFIH T i w FA I W I H H H I MH M I HHMH HH M H H MTWMHMMWMWWIWW A I W I i lu r] 0 0w k 0 L mm E I! m M June23, 1964 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 BYW WW June 23, 1964 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 E.F. REISS ETAL 3,138,474

GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSEDMUND F. REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANE f BYMJy,

ATTORNEYS E. F- REISS ETAL GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FOLDING DOORSFiled Jan. 29, 1962 June 23, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS EDMUND F.REISS WALTER J. MacFARLANE B WW (W! 3 Y ATTORNEYS 7w United StatesPatent 3,138,474 GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR FQLDING DGORS Edmund F.Reiss and Walter J. MacFarlane, New Britain, Conn., assignors to Thetanley Works, New Britain,

Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser. No.169,253 4 Claims. (Cl. 1602tl6) This invention relates to folding doorsof the type having two or more panels hinged together in side-bysiderelationship and more particularly to an improved guide and controlassembly for such doors.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a guideand control assembly for folding doors of the type described that iscompletely concealed when the doors are in closed position and that willpermit the doors to open to a desirable 90 position or to a fully openposition of substantially 180 without the necessity of relocating theassembly parts.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a guideand control assembly of the type referred to which will provide smoothand controlled action of the door, particularly from the standpoint ofavoiding binding or jamming of the moving assembly parts during openingor closing of the doors. Included in this object is the provision ofsuch an assembly that will hold the door panels in controlledrelationship during opening and closing thereof and that will permitopening and closing of the door in a manner that is simple and requiresa minimum of manual effort or direction.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of aguide and control assembly for folding doors that will accomplish theabove objects in a structure whose parts are relatively economical tomanufacture, capable of quick and easy installation in doorways and ondoor panels of various dimensions and will provide effective serviceover long periods of use.

A more specific object of the present invention is the provision of animproved guide and control assembly for doors of the type described thatcan be advantageously applied to doors that are mounted within a doorwayand that will permit the gap between the lead panel and its adjacentdoorway jamb to be desirably minimized when the door is in closedposition.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of theapplication which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front View of a two-panel folding door mounted in a doorwayof a wall and shown as incorporating an embodiment of the improved guideand control assembly of the present invention, the wall and the doorbeing shown in fragment;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lines 22 ofFIG. 1 and additionally showing the partially open and fully openpositions of the door in phantom;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along thelines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along thelines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines55' of FIG. 1 showing a door guide included in the improved guide andcontrol assembly, the door guide being broken away to show its internalconstruction;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the door guide and a fragmentof the door panel on which it is mounted;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the left-hand end portion of FIG. 2 andadditionally showing in phantom two positions of portions of theassembly and door during opening or closing of the door;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of theleft-hand end portion of the track; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional View taken along lines 99 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, an embodiment of the guide andcontrol assembly of the invention is shown in FIGS. 19 in connectionwith a two-panel folding door mounted within a doorway of a wall 2 andconsisting of a first panel 4 and a second or lead panel 6 connectedtogether in side-by-side relationship by means of hinges 55 secured tothe rear surfaces of the panels as shown in FIG. 1. The panel 4, inturn, is pivotally connected by means of hinges 10, to the jamb 12 of adoorway adjacent the outer edge thereof so as to permit the panels to bepivoted entirely clear of the doorway. A knob 14 is provided on the leadpanel 6 for use in opening and closing of the door. Although theinvention is described in conjunction with a two-panel door, it will beapparent from the following description that the invention is equallyapplicable to doors having a multiple of two panels. In accordance withthe invention, an improved guide and control assembly is provided forguiding and controlling the movement of the door between a fully closedposition wherein the front surfaces of the door panels are flush withthe front surfaces of the jambs 12, 12 and the header 16 as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and a fully open position wherein the panels are entirelyremoved from the doorway, as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. The guide andcontrol assembly includes an elongated, inverted, channel-shaped track,generally designated 20, which is positioned within the'doorway at thetop thereof and rearwardly of the door and extends parallel to theheader 16 and panels 2 and 4 when the door is in the fully closedposition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The track may be formed in any convement manner such .as by metalextrusion and a preferred configuranon of the track 20 is shown indetail in the drawings. However, it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular shape of the track sinceother configurations may be utilized. The track 20 is formed with a flatbase 22 and flat side walls 24 having a pair of inwardly extendingflanges 26 which form a guideway. The left-hand extremity of the track20, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with an L-shaped stop orabutment 28 fastened thereto by means of rivet 30 as shown in FIG. 8 andwhich stop 28 functions in a manher to be subsequently described indetail.

The left-hand end of the track 20, as viewed in FIG. 1, is supported forpivotable and reciprocating movement on the horizontal portion of doorstop 32 extending along the underside of the header 16 while theopposite end of the track is pivotally connected to the rear surface ofdoor panel 4 adjacent the top thereof. In doorways not provided with adoor stop, the track 20 is supported directly on the header. Referringmore specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3, the means for mounting the left-handend of the track 20 on the horizontal door stop 32 comprises a generallyrectangular bracket 33 which comprises a flange portion 34 secured tothe stop 32 by means of screws 35 and an offset portion 36 having anelongated slot 38 therein. The track is pivotally connected to thebracket by means of a pivot stud 40 extending through slot 38 and havingits head 41 slidably received within the confines of the bracket offsetportion 36 and its lower end 42 suitably secured to the track as bypeening. The bracket slot 38 is elongated so as to permit the track tomove longitudinally for a limited distance governed by the length of theslot 38. In order to lessen the wear between the pivot stud 40 andbracket 33 as well as to facilitate movement of the track, a flangedbushing 44 formed of low-friction material such as nylon is providedaround the pivot stud 40 so as to contact the offset portion 36 of thebracket as shown in FIG. 3. Relative vertical movement between the track20 and the bracket 32 is prevented simply by means of a washer-typebearing 46 provided around the pivot stud 40 and disposed between theoffset portion 36 of the bracket and the track base 22.

With reference to FIG. 4, the right-hand end of the track 20, as viewedin FIG. 1, is pivotally connected to panel 4 for movement therewith bymeans including a bracketed pivot socket 48 preferably formed of nylonand comprising a laterally extending arm 49 having an enlarged slot 50therethrough and a downstanding arm 52, secured by screws 53, to therear surface of panel 4 adjacent to but spaced from the top and hingededges thereof. The connection is completed by a pivot stud 56 having ashank portion 57 slidably and pivotally received in the slot 50 of thepivot socket, a collar 54 forming a bearing between the track 20 and arm49 and a threaded portion 58 which cooperates with spring lock nut 59 tosecure the pivot stud to the track.

The lead panel 6 of the door is guided during its movements by the track20 through the operation of a door guide generally designated 60 andbest shown in FIGS. and 6. The door guide 60 comprises a mountingportion 62 secured by screws 63 to the rear surface of the lead panel 6adjacent to, but spaced from the top and outer edges thereof; and aguide arm portion 65 pivotally or hingedly connected to the mountingportion 62 by means of pin 66. The outer end of arm portion 65 isprovided with a follower 67 projecting upwardly therefrom which ispivotally and slidably received in the track to be guided thereby. Asecond follower 68 is provided for alternate use in the event the dooris to be mounted for movement in the opposite direction in which casethe guide is inverted. A coil spring 70 is provided around the pin 66 inorder to bias the guide arm 65 to the extended position shown in FIG. 6,the movement of guide arm 65 caused by the biasing force of spring 70being limited by the engagement between the rear surface of the panel 6and the end 72 of the guide arm 65. The guide arm portion, includingfollowers 67 and 68, is preferably formed from nylon or other lowfriction material of good wearing quality.

In order to hold the door releasably in closed position so as topreclude accidental or unwanted movement thereof, there is provided onthe rear surface of panel 4 a generally U-shaped catch member 75 havinga pair of arcuate springs arms 76 and 78, as shown in FIG. 9. The catchmember 75 is dimensioned and positioned on the panel 4 so as to permitthe track to be resiliently grasped by the spring arms 76, 78 as thedoor reaches its fully closed position.

The operation of the improved guide and control assembly will beapparent from the foregoing description taken in connection with thefollowing explanation. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, withthe door in fully closed position, the track 20 extends parallel to boththe header 16 and the door, and door guide element 65 is in its fullyretracted position, generally in line with the track 20. As the door isinitially opened, the track 20 will move leftwardly as permitted by thebracket slot 38 and at the same time the right-hand end of the trackwill pivot with panel 4 about stud 56 and the left-hand end of the trackwill pivot about stud 40. This movement is accompanied by pivotalmovement of the door guide 65 out of its fully retracted position, aidedby the bias of the spring 70 and progressive movement of the door guidefollower 67 to the right along the track, the latter thus providing acontrolled guide for the lead panel 6.

When the panel 4 reaches an approximate 45 position, the stud 40 willhave reached the extreme left end of its slot 38 thus preventing furtherleftward movement of the track 20, however, the panel 4 will still befree to continue to open without jamming of the pivot socket slot wall51 against the track stud 40, and in turn the track, by virtue of theenlarged longitudinal dimension of slot 50 since the latter will permitthe track 20 and panel 4 to undergo relative movement to accommodatecontinued opening of panel 4. When the panel reaches an approximate 70position, the track will begin to move longitudinally in the righthanddirection with continued opening movement of the door. The position ofthe parts when the panel 4 has been pivoted approximately and also thefully open position of the door are shown in phantom in FIG. 2. Movementof the panels to the fully open position is accompanied by continueddrawing of the door guide 60 along the track 20 and continuedlongitudinal movement of the track in the right-hand direction, and thefinal movement of panel 4 into its fully open position is efiectedsmoothly without obstruction by the track 20 because of the enlargedpivot socket slot 50 which again permits relative movement between thetrack and the panel 4 during this final movement. In full open position,further movement is precluded by engagement between the right-hand endof bracket slot 38 and the pivot stud 4t and the abutting engagementbetween the track and the rear corner of panel 4.

Closing of the door is characterized by the reversal of theabove-described movements. Referring to FIG. 7, during final closing ofthe door, the door guide element 65 will begin to retract by pivotingclockwise (as viewed in FIG. 7) relative to panel 6 and in opposition tothe spring biasing force whereupon continued closing movement of thedoor will cause the outer edge 73 of the lead panel 6 to contact thejamb 12' as shown in phantom. In the jamb contacting position, the trackstop 28 will abuttingly engage the door guide pivot 67 whereuponcontinued closing movement of the door will cause the track to move inthe right-hand direction thereby causing the stop 28 to fully retractthe door guide element 65 into the position substantially aligned withthe track thus permitting the lead panel 6 to move out of contact withjamb 12' and into fully closed position together with panel 4. Thus, itwill be seen from the foregoing that the retractability of the doorguide 60 permits the gap between the lead panel 6 and jamb 12', when thedoor is in closed position, to be reduced to a desired minimum withoutaffecting the smooth operation and control of the door. Additionally,the door guide spring 70 functions to maintain the door guide 60 in itsunretracted position during the abovedescribed door movement so as tospace the rear corner of the lead panel 6 from the track 20 (as shown inphantom in FIG. 2) thereby precluding interfering engagementtherebetween and ensuring smooth operation of the door.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modificationsand adaptations of the structure above described will become readilyapparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mountedtherein and having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-siderelationship with one of the panels hingedly mounted along one side edgeof the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprisinga track, means mounting one end of the track on the top edge of thedoorway for pivotal and reciprocal movement, means pivotally connectingthe other end of the track on said one of the panels, and a door guideincluding an arm pivotally connected at one end to the other panel andhaving a follower at its other end pivotally and slidably engaged in thetrack, and a spring biasing the arm away from the other panel to anextended position to thereby space the other panel from the track.

2. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mountedtherein having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-siderelationship with one of the panels hingedly mounted along one side edgeof the doorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprisinga track, means mounting one end of the track on the top edge of thedoorway for pivotable and reciprocable movement, means pivotallymounting the other end of the track on said one of the panels, a guidepivotally and slidably engaged in the track and including an armpivotally connected to the other panel to permit limited movement of theother panel away from and toward the track during initial opening andfinal closing of the door, spring means biasing said arm away from saidother panel, and a stop fixed at said one end of the track and movablewith the track to engage the guide during the final closing movement ofthe door for causing the guide to pivot toward said door and into aretracted position aligned with the track.

3. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mountedtherein and having first and second panels hinged together inside-by-side relationship with the first of the panels hingedly mountedalong one side edge of the doorway, a guide and control assembly forsaid panels comprising an elongated track extending alongside the top ofthe panels when the panels are in their closed position, means pivotallymounting one end of the track Within the doorway along the top edgethereof and permitting longitudinal movement of the track, meanspivotally mounting the other end of the track on the first panel,retractable guide means on the second panel engaged in the track andproviding for limited movement of the second panel toward and away fromthe track, means biasing the guide means to extended position to spacethe second panel from the track, and a releasable catch on one of thepanels engageable with the track to retain the panels in close proximityto the track against the bias on the guide means.

4. In the combination comprising a doorway and a folding door mountedtherein having a pair of panels hinged together in side-by-siderelationship with one of the panels hinged along one side edge of thedoorway, a guide and control assembly for said panels comprising atrack, means mounting one end of the track along the top edge of thedoorway for pivotal and longitudinally reciprocable movement, meanspivotally mounting the other end of the track on said one of the panels,a guide pivotally and slidably engaged in the track and including an armpivotally connected to the other panel to permit movement of the otherpanel away from and toward the track during initial opening and finalclosing of the door, spring means biasing said arm to an extendedposition away from said other panel to thereby space the other panelfrom the track, a stop fixed at said one end of the track and movablewith the track to engage the guide during the final closing movement ofthe door to thereby cause the guide to pivot toward said door and into aretracted position aligned with the track, and a releasable catch on oneof the panels engageable with the track when the door is closed tothereby maintain the panels in close proximity to the track against thebias of the spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,536,867 Karl May 5, 1925 1,552,359 Thorne Sept. 1, 1925 1,700,184Sipes Jan. 29, 1929 1,768,267 Phillips June 24, 1930 2,629,435 DadswellFeb. 24, 1953 2,973,809 Sklar Mar. 7, 1961 3,029,868 Ogburn et al. Apr.17, 1962

1. IN THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A DOORWAY AND A FOLDING DOOR MOUNTEDTHEREIN AND HAVING A PAIR OF PANELS HINGED TOGETHER IN SIDE-BY-SIDERELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF THE PANELS HINGEDLY MOUNTED ALONG ONE SIDE EDGEOF THE DOORWAY, A GUIDE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR SAID PANELS COMPRISINGA TRACK, MEANS MOUNTING ONE END OF THE TRACK ON THE TOP EDGE OF THEDOORWAY FOR PIVOTAL AND RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTINGTHE OTHER END OF THE TRACK ON SAID ONE OF THE PANELS, AND A DOOR GUIDEINCLUDING AN ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE OTHER PANEL ANDHAVING A FOLLOWER AT ITS OTHER END PIVOTALLY AND SLIDABLY ENGAGED IN THETRACK AND A SPRING BIASING THE ARM AWAY FROM THE OTHER PANEL TO ANEXTENDED POSITION TO THEREBY SPACE THE OTHER PANEL FROM THE TRACK.